Automakers such as General Motors and South Korea-based Hyundai Motor export vehicles tariff-free from South Korea.

The talks aim to highlight how they will continue to 'unite and work together for regional peace and prosperity,” Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said.

With their sizeable trade surpluses, the US president may make the two Asian countries a target for import duties.

South Korea's free trade agreement with the United States could help mitigate its exposure to reciprocal tariffs threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump, economists at two major investment banks have said.